Effective teaching assistant deployment

Can be very effective at improving pupil outcomes if the teaching is closely matched to needs. Effectiveness depends on quality of teaching. Teaching needs to address the gaps in learning with well-planned sessions that provide quality feedback to the pupils.

Experienced, specifically trained teachers make the biggest impact. When using volunteers or teaching assistants evidence suggests training and a structured evidence-based intervention is required.

The reduction of children to adult ratio can enable a teacher to implement a wider range of approaches and give each child more attention. The majority of evidence is based on class sizes of 10 and found a small positive impact of +2 months. 

Reducing a class from 30 to 25 would unlikely be a cost-effective approach. Where is has the most potential benefits is in the early stages of primary school. 

Can be used as a general strategy to ensure progress or teach challenging topics and skills. Small group teaching can support lower attaining learners or those at risk of falling behind. It is most effective when diagnostic assessment is used to target specific needs. When staff receive training in how to deliver the small group intervention there is a bigger impact. 

Groups that receive targeted teaching to their specific needs, have feedback from the teacher and are engaged make the most progress. When group sizes become bigger than 6 or 7 the effectiveness reduced. 

Children are grouped within class according to subject's attainment levels to match activities and support. The evidence strength for this area is limited with several factors creating variability. Curriculum content is important to consider attainment grouping have a positive impact for maths but little difference found for literacy, on average.